Compass-supported Flavien Coton travelled all the way to Peru to take part in the WTT Youth Star Contender Lima, which took place from 19.-23.06. The trip paid off as Flavien finished second in the U19 singles event. Compass-supported Steven Moreno also won medals at the tournament – a gold in the U15 doubles, a bronze in the U15 singles and in the U19 mixed doubles.

Flavien Coton was seeded fifth in the U19 event, despite being only 16 years old. In the quarter-finals, he defeated world number 18 (WRL #18) Ankur Bhattacharjee from India in a hard-fought match which Coton won 16:14 (!) in the fifth and deciding game. The semi-final against Hung Jing-Kai was more straightforward 3:1, but in the final, the number one seeded player of the tournament and number seven in the world, Chang Yu-An from Chinese Taipei, finally got the better of Flavien. The young Frenchman was leading 2:1 after winning the third game 16:14, but lost the next two games 11:9 and 11:5.

Puerto Rico’s Steven Moreno had a successful tournament. Teaming up with compatriot Enrique Rios, he won the U15 doubles after beating Peru’s Ventosilla/Camacho and Duffoo/Uribe in straight games before beating India’s Rupam Sardar/Sahil Rawat 3:1 in the final.

In the U15 singles, Steven again beat Sardar 3:0 in the last eight. In the semi-finals, Moreno went down 3:1 to Chinese Taipei’s finalist Lin Chin-Ting – 9:11, 14:16, 11:3, 1:11. Steven also won a medal in the U19 mixed doubles with Zusanna Wielgos from Poland. The Puerto Rican/Polish duo defeated a Peruvian team and a team from India before losing to the eventual winners Vartihar/Bhattacharjee of India 1:3 in the semi-finals.

Edgardo Vázquez, Steven’s coach, commented on the tournament:

“We are very happy with the results in Lima. Steven showed a great level of play and exceptional maturity at the table. His dedication and hard work in training was clearly reflected in his performance. On the way to the U15 semi-finals, Steven knew how to keep his concentration and execute the strategies we had planned, which allowed him to move forward with confidence”.

Steven Moreno shares his coach’s experience:

“I was able to apply everything I had learnt and I felt very supported by my team and by Edgardo. In the semi-final against the Chinese Taipei player, I realised that I needed to improve my low game pressure and my ability to stay calm in critical moments. I am happy with my overall performance and motivated to keep improving”.

At the German Championships in Erfurt, compass supported Josephina Neumann became German U15 Champion in both singles and doubles. In the singles “Josi” defeated Leonie Müller 4:0 in the round of the last 16 and Laura Milos 4:2 in the quarter finals. In the semi-finals she beat Fatme Ibrahim El Haj 4:1 and in the final she beat Elisa Chau Bao Nguyen 4:1.

In the U15 doubles, Josephina teamed up again with Koharu Itagaki. In the round of the last eight they were down 1:2 against Fatme Ibrahim El Haj/Leonie Müller, but turned the match around by winning the last two games 11:7 and 11:8. The semi-final against Rhea Zhu Chen/Ruoqi Wei was also close, with Chen/Wei winning the first two games. But then Neumann/Itagaki found their way and won the next three games 11:8, 11:4 and 11:4. In the final, it was easier to win straight games against Amelie Guzi Jia/Sophie Kriessbach.

“I’m mega happy. Especially because things haven’t gone so well in my age group at the Germans the last two times,” Josi told mytischtennis.de after the match.

WTT Youth Star Contender Lima 2024

Results German Youth Championships U15